Recipes of Veggies for Toddlers?

When my kids were younger I would chop up veggies (carrots, brocolli, zuchini, etc..) really little and just add it to whatever I was making. It is really easy to add to spaghetti sauce, and lasagna.

I actually had to literally force my kids to eat them alone, but now they absolutely love their veggies. I am not kidding, my friends always make fun of them because they will ask for seconds and thirds on brocolli.

Have you ever made spaghetti squash? They liked that when they were younger. I know it sounds bad but I would also add butter or cheese. I would rather them have their veggies with stuff on it than not eat them at all.

Hope this helps!

T.<><

Hi! Here is a recipe for "spinach rice". Hope you like it! My 10 and 2 yr olds who don't normally like spinach both ate 2 helpings of this dish! And, you can always reduce the amount of spinach the first time you make it. That way you can introduce it slowly. And, for an even healthier recipe, you can use brown rice instead of white. Just remember to follow the brown rice directions as it would take longer to cook. GOOD LUCK!! :)

ITALIAN RICE

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup UNCOOKED regular long-grain white rice

1. Heat broth in a 2 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.

2. Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 min. or until the rice is tender.

For an interesting twist:
Add 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning to the chicken broth.
Add 3/4 cup chopped, frozen spinach (thawed and drained) to the broth when you add the rice.
Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese before serving. Serve with additional cheese if you want.

Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!!

The secret weapon way to get the kids to eat veggies is to blend a bunch into a paste and quietly add to any recipe, such as spaghetti sauce, rice, stir fry, etc. They never know the difference. To make bigger vegetables more fun. Use different kinds of dips to entice them. Carrots, jicima, cucumbers sliced the long way - all goes great with ranch, hummus, oil and vinegar and even katsup.
Hope this helps!
R.

Hello Try www.wholesometoddlerfood.com they have great recipes!

Some thing to think about. Do you have a blender? If not you could use babyfood. I like to puree all left over veggies and I either freeze them pureed or add them to soups, stews, sauces, meatloaf ect. If they can't see (thus pureed vs cut small) they can't pick them out. They will also never know that they are in the foods unless somebody tells them its there.

One other thing...... Once you feel confident in the childs ability to chew. Then try uncooked veggies. To this day, my nine year old will eat nothing but cooked corn and mashed potatoes. Every single other veggies need to be fresh and have something to dip it in. Its real funny, when we go to the grocery store, she asks me for green beans vs candy or cookies. Her first veggie was uncooked carrots dipped in Ketchup. YUK! but it's not me eating it.

Also keep in mind, this is the perfect age group for picky eating. They just are not growing as fast as they have in the past. Therefor if you are not growing as fast as the past, then caloric needs are decreased. Try to monitor milk intake. It is recommended 1% milk for anybody over the age of 2 and no more than 20 oz. a day. Juice should be no more than 10-12 oz. a day. If you think he drinks more than the recommended amount and want to decrease the liquid amounts w/out an argument. Fill his cups with ice. Ice takes up space but does not immediately change the taste. If you fill the cup half way or water liquids down at this age and they are not used to it. You may end up wearing the contents of the cup.

I hope this helps. Oh yeah, keep in mind that a portion of veggies for a 2 year old is 2 tablespoons if cooked and 4 tablespoons if uncooked. Very small portions too. Any other questions, give me a jingle.

H. B.

Hi Nidia -
Okay, this is not really a recipe but actually much more convenient. I purchase baby carrots already in the bag (cleaned and cut) and then I go to Vons and get a really delicious hummus called "Sabra" that's in the deli section. My son LOVES the hummus and will eat carrots with it. He will also dip cucumber slices into it. The only drawback is that the hummus is somewhat messy...but what isn't when you're dealing with a toddler?

Good luck! L.

I don't really cook much. But I shop at Whole Foods, and they have some great frozen selections that you can pop in the microwave.
My daughter loves their spinach fetas (Anne's I think, they look like little appetizers)

I figure if I am going to feed her food like this, at least I am getting it from Whole Foods, so it will be healthy.

I make all my 10 months meals home made also. He loves his veggies. Here is his favorite.
1 large potato
half a bag of small peeled carrots
1 italian squash
1 chiken bulliom cube for flavor
Mash together. this is about 3 servings.

I know this is a pretty common one but....my son loves to have broccoli with cheese. I also like the fried ocra. You just bread it and fry it. Of course, there are all kinds of veggie recipes. There is a web site called Kids Health and it has some great recipes for kids. Like banana bread, frozen yogurt pops....etc. Its at www.kidshealth.org

Hope this helps some. Best Wishes, T.

My daughter was big on vegis when she was this age. Here are her favorites:
Mashed Yams and butter
Peas with butter
Anything mashed really, like squash, and potatoes, as long as the consistancy was right (I did it with a hand blender/Immersion blender)
Slow Poached baby carrots sliced lengthwise

My daughters favorite thing was to feed herself until she was tired and then I would take over the spoon.

Now she likes Tempura style vegis as long as they are soft, and she absolutly loves broccoli steamed soft and then strained and a pat of butter on the head of the broccoli. She also really enjoyed the heads of asperigas, but for some reason the stalk was not appealing.

Hope it helps, otherwise check recipies.com

you can try brocoli in the mac and cheese, spinach in pasta sauce, shredded carots in pasta too. veggies stuffed in ravioli. Or just letting them dip them in ranch. Also I hide veggies in smoothies, and oatmeal. I make babyfood for my baby, so I'll take a cube of frozen brocoli or asparaus and add it to my son's morning oatmeal and call it dinosaur oatmeal. ;) good luck.

I try to "sneak" veggies into the foods my 2yr old will eat. I add extra veggies to soup, I had small diced carrots to marinara sauce, I mix peas into her mashed potatoes, etc.

I have a little one who is turning 2 at the end of the month and i have a hard time getting veggies in his mouth too. what works from me is to chop veggies up (any really, but zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, ect... what ever is on sale at Henry's...)and i either sautée them or steam them and then throw them in pasta sauce.

maybe it would work for you too. good luck.

a girlfriend of mine sneaks baby food sweet potatoes into mac & cheese.

Her kids are 10, 10 and 8 and think mac & cheese taste funny when someone else makes it

It's a veggie they don't even know is in the food.

When my kids were young, I put pureed vegetables (you can puree steamed veggies in a blender or food processor, or use jars of baby food) into spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, burgers, casseroles, soups---get creative!
Another idea is to cook "bitter" veggies (like broccoli, spinach, etc.) in milk, rather than water. I didn't like to simmer veggies in milk, then just throw out the milk (where all the vitamins are!), so I started making milk-based soups with the milk. Creamy broccoli soup was a favorite!
Simmer one head of broccoli (chopped, with some of the smaller stems) and one small diced onion, in milk. Puree in a blender or food processor, add one can (14 oz.) of chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste. If a thicker soup is desired, add light sour cream (1/2 to 1 cup). My kids loved this!
You can also roast many veggies (carrots, beets, red peppers, zucchini, yellow (or summer) squash, onions, mushrooms, turnips, parsnips). The sweeter ones (carrots, beets, red or yellow peppers), kids might eat, on their own. Otherwise, you can puree for soups and sauces, or dice really small and add to things like soup, salad, etc. Go on-line or look at cookbooks from the library, for recipes like roasted carrot and beet soup. Butternut squash and apple soup is another favorite, as is sweet potatoes with apples. Also, many kids will eat tomato soup, vegetable soup, minestrone, etc.
The rule that we had is that everybody had to try it, but if someone didn't like it, they could leave it on their plate or in their bowl. Be persistent, because tatse buds DO change over time! It might also help to read "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss, and remind children that the main character didn't THINK he would like green eggs and ham, but when he tried them, he LIKED them!
Also, salads are often more tolerated by kids, because it's "salad" and not "vegetables"! Make sure you use dark leafy greens, like romaine lettuce, green and red leaf lettuce, baby spinach and spring mix. Add things like cucumbers, shredded carrots, cherry or plum tomatoes, even avocado or jicama. If your child is REALLY resistant to salads, try romaine lettuce (pretty mild) with cucumbers and orange segments (or canned mandarin oranges) and a mild Italian dressing.
Just keep trying! I've read that if you offer a wide variety of FRESH fruits, you can almost duplicate the vitamins and minerals of vegetables, but I would only use that as a last resort!
Keep in mind that 1/2 cup of pasta sauce with vegetables, like Ragu, which has several varities, is a full serving (or more!) of vegetables. (It will say on the front label.) Also remember that "a serving" of vegetables varies with the age of the child! Ask your doctor what "a serving" is for your child's age---it could be as small as 2 Tablespoons! (It's 1/2 cup to 1 cup for adults!)
Also, remember to "model" the behavior---both parents should eat vegetables in front of their kids (preferably at a family dinner!) Hope this helps!
J.

I just found your question, so I'm sorry for the late response! :)

I recently read in, I think it was, Parents or Parenting magazine on how to sneak veggies into toddler-loved foods...I think it was March's edition...well, I do know it has been a recent article! lol

Just in case no one else had mentioned it! :)

Hey Nidia! I don't have a recipe right now for you, BUT have you ever heard of Pirate's Booty? It's basically flavored popcorn. You can buy it at Trader Joes, Henry's, and any wholefood type of stores. My 3 year old daughter is very picky, but she loves this stuff! You can buy it in all different kinds of flavors. They have one that is spinach and carrot flavored. Pretty good stuff! Good luck!
S. G